In 1958, Navy Yard Actually Used For Ships!
Before the movie studios and office buildings, before Admiral’s Row was allowed to go to pot, the Brooklyn Navy Yard really was used by the Navy for, among other things, building ships. In this footage from 1958, the aircraft carrier USS Independence, with the capacity to carry 100 supersonic jets, is christened by the wife…
Before the movie studios and office buildings, before Admiral’s Row was allowed to go to pot, the Brooklyn Navy Yard really was used by the Navy for, among other things, building ships. In this footage from 1958, the aircraft carrier USS Independence, with the capacity to carry 100 supersonic jets, is christened by the wife of Thomas Gates, Secretary of the Navy.
Commissioning of USS Independence [YouTube]
brownstoner, wonderful addition! love the video.
My grandfather had a small shipping crate factory near there….the whole thing ran on a central steam engine (burnt by wood scraps) and system of leather belts.
Someone should take a serious look at something other than the physical anthropology of the place. It was actually very efficient. And, against type, it was a government operation. The private shipbuilders actually had it shut down because they couldn’t compete with it. There were a few contract scandals but nothing like the customary ship building corruption.
I was lucky enough to get a tour of the Navy Yard recently and the original dry dock from the 1840s is still intact–in fact, it has suffered from fewer leaks and structural compromises than the more modern ones (natch). What is particularly unique about being inside the Yard, which is evident to a certain degree in this clip, is what a rare perspective on the rest of the city it is. The viewpoints and vistas are ones you just almost never get to see, and while not fundamentally different than what they are to the immediate east or west, still they are quite unique.
Video works perfectly.
I recently visited Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona memorial. I was amazed to see a photo of the Arizona when it was first commissioned… At Brooklyn Navy Yard. Here is a picture of its enagural Sail with the Brooklyn Bridge right behind. Awesome photo. http://www.navsource.org/archives/01/013904a.jpg
I could see it/worked fine for me.
Can people see the video player? It worked for us at home on our Mac but it’s not showing up at work on our pc…May be the firewall blocking YouTube?